Why are polar bears labeled endangered?

Answer 1

Global warming causes the ice in the polar bears' habitat, the Arctic, to get thinner, rupture, and melt. Swimming conditions then become more difficult, food (seal) becomes scarcer, and reproduction rate decreases.

• Global warming is melting the sea ice in the Arctic.
• Polar bears rely on long winters of frozen ice to hunt seals (in dens under the ice).
• They need good reserves of food (blubber) to last them through summer when they can't hunt seals.
• Winters are getting shorter and the ice is melting earlier.
• Bears are weaker and summers are longer, so some move to land and scavenge in rubbish bins.
• Weaker female bears can not bear and raise cubs successfully.
• We are burning the oil and coal that is causing global warming. We have to change to renewable energy!

Pollution - Man made toxic chemicals such as PCB (Polychlorinated Biphenyl) and DDT (Diclorodiphenyltrichloroethane) move along the food chain up to the polar bear. Krill that have these chemicals are eaten by fish, then by seals, then the seal is eaten by polar bears. Since the polar bear is at the top of this food chain, they receive the highest amount of these chemicals in their body.

Disease and Parasitism - The trichinella is commonly found under the blubber of seals, the polar bear's main prey. After the polar bear eats the seal, this parasitic roundworm can get too close to the heart or cause severe pain under the bears muscle tissue, it could result in death.

Hunting - Many natives in the arctic kill polar bears for food, clothing, or handicrafts. Other times polar bears are killed in protection of property or in self-defense.
With a vulnerable population of over 20,000 animals, the polar bear is currently not an endangered species. With new restrictions on trophy hunting, the great ice bear's numbers may continue to rise.

Answer 2

The polar bear is classified as Vulnerable, not endangered. Today, it is estimated that 25000 of these bears roam the Arctic. And, recently, the ice pack there has returned to prior levels, despite all the warnings from certain environmental groups.
Just 40 years ago there were less than 10,000 polar bears.

Answer 3

It is not an endangered species at present. List as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN.

Answer 4

polar bears are on the us fish & wildlife services endangered threatened list because polar bears are being threatened and their population is only at 25,000 and that is low